Date Flapjacks

Well, yet another date recipe and I make no apologies. I just love dates, I love eating them, baking with them, as all Cornish folk do! This recipe is absolutely fabulous! From an old baking booklet. Of course the recipe would have used dates chopped from a solid block, as I have done. Available in Sainsbury’s. These oaty and coconut flapjacks have a lovely gooey date centre that tastes very yummy!!

You will need an approx 7 or 8 inch square tin, not too deep or similar. lightly buttered and the base lined.  Pre heat your fan oven to 160C

6 oz butter

1 dessertspoonful golden syrup

6 oz caster sugar

4 oz medium oats

3 oz desiccated coconut

3 oz plain flour

large pinch of bicarbonate of soda

a teaspoonful vanilla extract or bean paste

6 oz dates, chopped and 5-6 tablespoonfuls juice from a large orange

Put the dates and juice in a small pan and heat through until the dates are soft and squishy. You may need a tad more juice. It will only take a couple or three minutes.

In another pan melt the butter and syrup and then add the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Tip half of the oaty mix into your prepared tin and press down lightly and evenly. Cover carefully with the date mix. Then cover the dates with the other half of the oaty mix.  I crumbled it over to avoid moving the dates, then lightly forked it through. Bake for about 30 mins maybe a tad more until golden.

Cool in the tin for a while then cut into squares or slices, when almost cold transfer to a rack.  So yummy. One of the best, trust me!